And God said, let us make man in our image, and after our likeness: and let them have dominion. Genesis 1:26

Last week we discussed the importance of getting to know God for who He is and fellowshipping with Him! How we see ourselves is often the byproduct of how we see our God! If we see God as condemning, then most likely we will feel condemned. If we see Him as loving, then most likely we will feel secure and loved. Finally, if we see the Lord as our highly exalted King, then we will see ourselves as royalty and seated with Him also! Ephesians 2:6 even notes that He "made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." This Scripture tells us that first Christ is seated in heavenly places and because of that we also are seated there with Him. It is important to establish intimate fellowship with God through His Word and prayer in order to see Him properly so you can see yourself properly! After all the Bible says that God said let us make man in our image (Genesis 1:26). The word "image" in the Hebrew is the word "tselem" which means "representative figure." Man (meaning humankind) was and is to be a representative for God on the earth. As God reigns over everything in heaven, man is to reign over everything on the earth. As God has dominion over sickness, lack, and negative influences in heaven and does not even allow those things there, man is not to allow those things on the earth! Throughout the week we will discuss more about seeing yourself with the proper image (1), accusations that distort seeing yourself properly (2), exercising authority over negative circumstances (3), and having dominion (4). Seeing yourself as the winner God created you to be is sure to bring victory in every area of your life!

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4

Here is a recap of this week's message. Below are the reasons we established this week for establishing an intimate relationship with God.

1. He is alive forevermore2. He is omniscience (all knowing) and can guide us to the solutions for any problem we will ever face3. He is worthy of praise and focusing on Him and praising Him is an act ofspiritual warfare4. He is the Word incarnate able to produce results in our lives despite the distractions we are confronted with from day to day

One important reason to establish a deep and meaningful relationship with God is simply because of who He is. Psalms 90:2 states that even from everlasting to everlasting you are God! It has been said that it will take all eternity to get to know Him. Think of that for a moment. After our life on earth ends, trillions upon trillions of infinite years that will never end is how long it will take for us to "begin" to know Him! That is how big and vast He is! I do not know anyone that has always existed and will always exist besides God! Even the greatest athlete, political figure, or Hollywood icon has not existed from everlasting to everlasting. And as beautiful, handsome, athletic, or knowledgeable we may think they are I guarantee you it pales in comparison to God's beauty, knowledge, and athleticism! It has been said that He is in a class all by Himself. He is the Almighty One who has no beginning and no end. It is hard for us to grasp this concept since at some point in time we were all conceived, born into this world, and began to exist. It can be even more complicated to grasp the concept of eternal life due to death that entered the world after the curse placed on humanity as a result of Adam's disobedience (Genesis 2:17). Notice I said in some "point in time" we were all conceived. God does not exist in time though but outside of it in eternity. Not only does He exist forever in eternity, but he is continuously ageless there. Old age and death are byproducts of the curse that fell on Adam and his offspring. Since God exists in eternity and has never had a beginning, He has seen every potential type of problem, situation, and circumstance unfold throughout the course of humanity. I believe that is the reason the Bible can confidently declare that there is no new thing under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Consequently, God already has the solution to every problem you will ever face. Before the earth's foundations were even laid, He was aware of the problem that you currently face and knew how to resolve the matter. The solution is in Him. Spend time with Him on today because from everlasting to everlasting He is God!

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4

As we wrap up our study concerning spending intimate time with God from this week, know that you do not have to go far to do so. As a believer, God is always with you because His Spirit lives inside of you!

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4

This week we have been studying various reasons why it is important to seek the face of God as opposed to seeking only what we are able to obtain from Him. The final point we will discuss in terms of the reason it is important to develop a sincere and intimate relationship with God is because He is able to produce results in our lives. In Mark 4:14, Jesus explained that the sower soweth the Word. When that Word (or seed) is sown into good ground it brings forth a harvest (or produces a return) of thirty, sixty, or even hundredfold (Mark 4:20). God's Word must be sown into the good ground of our heart to produce these types of results. Remember John 1:14 explained that the Word (Jesus) was made flesh and dwelt among us. Consequently, sowing the Word into your heart and speaking it out loud actually activates the person of Jesus to operate on your behalf and produce results in your life! Spending daily time with the Lord Jesus will through prayer and His Word will produce every beneficial result you will ever need and that God desires to give you!

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4

On Monday we noted the importance of fellowshipping with God on a daily basis and on Tuesday we discussed 4 reasons to establish a deep and intimate relationship with God with the third being that praising and focusing on Him is an act of spiritual warfare. This is a very important truth! So often people want to be delivered from various bondages or cast out demons they feel are operating through others. Remember though in Luke 10:19 when Jesus told His disciples that He had given them power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and all the power of the enemy? He followed that statement up with "but don't rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven" (Luke 10:20 NLT). While the Bible does admonish us to conduct spiritual warfare by binding, loosing, and casting out demons, we are not to become so demon oriented that we focus more on demons than on God. There is a fine line in doing this and if we are not careful, we can get into flesh. In Him is where the power for any deliverance lies. Throughout the Gospels while Jesus was here on earth, He preached about the Kingdom of God. While he did heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons, His focus was on God. James 4:7 reminds us to submit yourselves therefore to God and resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The focus in this verse is again on God first. Remember in 2 Chronicles 20:21-22 that as the people of Israel focused on God by praising Him and not their enemy, God wrought them a great victory! As we focus on God through his Word, prayer, and most importantly praising Him, we conduct spiritual warfare and every other illness, lack, or problem will flee!

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4

Imagine if you had knowledge about everything! I am not sure I would want to know the thought of every person and every hidden secret. Well, nothing escapes from the knowledge of God. On yesterday, we stated that one of the reasons to form an intimate relationship with God is because of who He is and His everlasting nature. Today we focus on forming an intimate relationship with Him due to his omniscience. In Psalms, God declares that the cattle on a thousand hills are mine and I know all the birds of the mountains (50: 10-11). This Scripture suggests that God knows all about the behavior and even needs of every bird. If God is interested in the birds of the field, surely He is concerned about every aspect of our lives and wants to lead, guide, and direct us into the good things He has planned for us. It is also written that "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Light always exposes darkness. God knows all secret truths, every thought of every person, and every plan we would ever devise before we even come up with them! We can tap into this divine knowledge in order to fulfill God's good purpose and plan for our lives. What is the secret to tapping into this divine knowledge you ask? It is found in abiding in Him. The Bible states that "if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7). We must abide in Christ through reading His Word, prayer, and daily fellowship. If you are not already doing this, start small if necessary. Ten or fifteen minutes abiding with the Lord on a daily basis can make a great difference! As you abide in Him today, you will tap into his knowledge and as John 15:7 states, your requests will be granted unto you!

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4

Yesterday we examined the Scripture above and talked about the importance of establishing and nurturing a close relationship with God. Please take time to review yesterday's post on April 23rd. There are many reasons to establish this type of relationship with God and we will explore just a few of the many throughout this week.

1. He is alive forevermore2. He is omniscience (all knowing) and can guide us to the solutions for any problem we will ever face3. He is worthy of praise and focusing on Him and praising Him is an act of spiritual warfare4. He is the Word incarnate able to produce results in our lives despite the distractions we are confronted with from day to day

One important reason to establish a deep and meaningful relationship with God is simply because of who He is. Psalms 90:2 states that even from everlasting to everlasting you are God! It has been said that it will take all eternity to get to know Him. Think of that for a moment. After our life on earth ends, trillions upon trillions of infinite years that will never end is how long it will take for us to "begin" to know Him! That is how big and vast He is! I do not know anyone that has always existed and will always exist besides God! Even the greatest athlete, political figure, or Hollywood icon has not existed from everlasting to everlasting. And as beautiful, handsome, athletic, or knowledgeable we may think they are I guarantee you it pales in comparison to God's beauty, knowledge, and athleticism! It has been said that He is in a class all by Himself. He is the Almighty One who has no beginning and no end. It is hard for us to grasp this concept since at some point in time we were all conceived, born into this world, and began to exist. It can be even more complicated to grasp the concept of eternal life due to death that entered the world after the curse placed on humanity as a result of Adam's disobedience (Genesis 2:17). Notice I said in some "point in time" we were all conceived. God does not exist in time though but outside of it in eternity. Not only does He exist forever in eternity, but he is continuously ageless there. Old age and death are byproducts of the curse that fell on Adam and his offspring. Since God exists in eternity and has never had a beginning, He has seen every potential type of problem, situation, and circumstance unfold throughout the course of humanity. I believe that is the reason the Bible can confidently declare that there is no new thing under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Consequently, God already has the solution to every problem you will ever face. Before the earth's foundations were even laid, He was aware of the problem that you currently face and knew how to resolve the matter. The solution is in Him. Spend time with Him on today because from everlasting to everlasting He is God!

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4

We were created for the express purpose of having intimate fellowship with God. The solution to whatever you need on today is found in spending time with God. Totally clear your mind for a moment and take a look around you. Forget about all the deadlines you have today, that bill that needs to be paid soon, the boss or coworker that has been giving you a hard time, or any other issue that has consumed your mind and attention up until this point. Now take a look around you and look at the trees, the flowers, the birds, and even the grass. Look at how carefree they are, their color, vibrance, and the life that emanates from them! If you are indoors, close your eyes for a moment and picture a beautiful sunrise or sunset that you have witnessed at some point in time. If you focus on these things long enough, most likely you will begin to feel at peace, revitalized, and as if all the issues that were previously on your mind will somehow work out. We see the hand of God throughout His creation and have the distinct honor and privilege to fellowship with Him on a daily basis through spending time reading His Word, prayer, and observing all the wonderful things He has created. Now imagine being able to spend time with the President of the United States anytime you want on your terms. Well, we have one who is even greater, more powerful, and knowledgeable than the President of the United States who is Almighty God the creator of heaven and earth! We are afforded the honor and privilege to spend perpetual intimate time with Him. This is God's desire for us, that we would get to know Him more intimately by seeking His face and not His hand so that He can bless us. To better understand this concept we must go back to the origin of the matter. When God created Adam (or man) He told him that man could have everything with the exception of the one thing that belonged to God (Genesis 2:16-17). The same still holds true for us today. The Bible says that all things are ours. The exception to that is that our praise, worship, talents, finances, and our time spent in fellowship with the Father! The enemy knows the power of spending intimate time in fellowship with the Father which is the reason He sends distractions in terms of financial crisises, relationship issues, and physical illnesses. We will talk more about the distractions of the enemy throughout this week. God is not a subtracter but an adder and a giver. Spending time with God on a daily basis sows a seed and sets a spiritual law in motion giving us everything we desire and need. As we spend intimate time with the Lord, we also learn more about His magnificence, He gives us solutions to problems we may face and works everything out on our behalf. So what will you give your attention to on today? Seek His face first and not His hand and He will give you everything else you need and desire!

All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

God will work everything out for your good. I am sure all of us can look back at certain times in our lives when we may have felt anxious and not known how a situation could possibly work out for good and see how God turned a situation around positively on our behalf. The key to all this is not to try to "fix" situations ourselves though. Often, as we try to fix a negative situation and put our hands in it more and more the worst it tends to get. As we continue to trust and follow God, He has a way of going to work on our behalf. We must also do our part by praying and studying the Word of God. As you honor God, He will honor you!

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself: but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. John 16:13

We do not have to live our lives by trial and error, chance, or happenstance. The Scripture above illustrates that the very Spirit of God will lead us into all truth if we will allow Him to. Many of the frustrations we encounter are the byproduct of not consulting with God and moving into various situations and relationships that are not God's will or moving ahead of Him. Today's Scripture not only indicates that God will lead us into truth as we go about our day-to-day lives, but it also indicates that He will give us instructions for our lives in the future in order to be adequately prepared for future events if we are receptive to His still small voice today. We know this because the Scripture above says "he will show you things to come." God is a good God and wants to manifest Himself to you and lead and guide you more than you want Him to manifest Himself to you! The Holy Spirit will guide you into all present and future truth and instructions for your life and fight on your behalf as your heart is tender towards the things of God!

I want to say thank you for saving my life! The young lady I spoke with gave me the greatest thing needed and prayed with me, sincerely prayed with me! I'm back on track with Jesus and continue to say thank you for you all and His grace and salvation! Because of Him y'all were able to save me!! Thank you again! God bless. -Kursten Britton

Morris Purnell

Click below to hear the powerful audio interview of a man that overcame the temptation to commit suicide and is now a Pastor.

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I want to say thank you for saving my life! The young lady I spoke with gave me the greatest thing needed and prayed with me, sincerely prayed with me! I'm back on track with Jesus and continue to say thank you for you all and His grace and salvation! Because of Him y'all were able to save me!! Thank you again! God bless.

-Kursten Britton

Thank you. I am doing very well compared to 1 year ago. That is due to God's grace and His reminder I was given a second chance. I do not lose sight of that. Keep doing what you are doing. God Bless all of you.